Chris Richards (No. 3) celebrates after scoring a goal against Mexico at a tournament in July 2025.

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Goooaaalll!

This summer, people across the globe will watch the top men’s soccer stars battle it out at FIFA World Cup 2026. 

May 11, 2026
By Mark Stewart

As You Read, Think About: How did hosting the 1994 World Cup affect soccer in the U.S.?

Soccer is the most popular sport on the planet. But which country has the best team? Every four years, that question is answered at the FIFA World Cup. It’s the ultimate stage for the sport’s greatest players. It’s also where fans get to see the next generation of stars. The Olympic Games are the only sporting event that comes close to attracting as many viewers.

This year, for the first time, three countries will host the World Cup. Games will take place in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Teams from 48 nations are expected to play in the six-week tournament, which kicks off on June 11. Billions of fans around the world will be watching. 

The last time the World Cup took place in the U.S. was 1994. The excitement around that tournament supercharged Americans’ interest in the sport. Will this year’s World Cup have the same effect?

A History of Soccer
Watch a video to learn why soccer is so popular.

Back In the U.S.

Before 1994, soccer had struggled to find a big audience in the U.S. Several professional soccer leagues had failed. It was almost impossible to find a soccer game on television. 

But the U.S. soccer scene has changed dramatically in the past 32 years. Major League Soccer (MLS) played its first season in 1996. The league has grown to include 30 teams and has attracted many of the top foreign players (see “One Player, Two Teams”). And many of America’s biggest stars now play for some of the best pro teams in Europe. 

The National Women’s Soccer League is also thriving. It played its first season in the U.S. in 2013. Today the league draws more fans than any other women’s soccer league in the world. 

FIFA World Cup 2026

This summer, 16 cities will host World Cup matches. The final will be played at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on July 19.

Jim McMahon/Mapman®

Dreaming Big

Dylan Buell/USSF/Getty Images

Tim Ream has played more than 80 games for the U.S. national team.

The 1994 World Cup also helped spark a soccer boom among kids. From 1990 to 2010, the number of youth players in programs run by U.S. Soccer nearly doubled. The players on this year’s U.S. World Cup team got their start in soccer during that boom. 

Chris Richards was the 2025 U.S. Soccer Male Player of the Year. He recalls why he loved soccer as a kid.

“It was a chance to be active and also meet kids around my community,” he says. 

Richards’s teammate Tim Ream remembers watching the 1994 World Cup. At the time, he was 6 years old. 

“As young players, we all had dreams of playing for the U.S.A.,” Ream explains. “Now as a team, we get to inspire kids who have similar goals and dreams.”

One Player, Two Teams

Shutterstock.com

Top soccer stars often play for two teams. They play for a professional team for part of the year. And they compete on their country’s national team during competitions like the World Cup. 

For example, Major League Soccer fans love rooting for superstar Lionel Messi and his teammates on Inter Miami. But many people hope to see him compete for his home country, Argentina, at this year’s World Cup. Messi led Argentina to victory at the last World Cup, in 2022.

1. Based on the article, what is unique about where this year’s World Cup will take place?

2. What evidence does the article give to support the claim that soccer “struggled to find a big audience in the U.S.” before 1994?

3. What is the main purpose of the sidebar, “One Player, Two Teams”?

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